new recipes, a lot of joy, and a borrowed space

Vegan Cuban Bowl

When I lived in Richmond, I fell in love with a little Cuban restaurant a few blocks from my house. The restaurant was always bustling with people, offering barely enough room to scoot around the little red tables. The smells would waft down the sidewalk, inviting you into the little yellow building where the coffee was strong, the music was loud, and the flavors were unbelievable.

It was frequenting that little Cuban restaurant that taught me to love Cuban flavors, so when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew it was next on my cooking to-do list. The recipe did not let me down.

As I dished up warm bowl of this Cuban meal for my family, I was immediately taken back to memories of sliding into booths at that little Cuban restaurant, or even better yet, some of the meals I enjoyed while in the Dominican Republic and Peru- sharing some similar ingredients and spices.

If a meal has the power to remind you of previous meals, experiences, and people, simply through the ingredient list, the smell, or the flavor, that to me is a good sign it’s a keeper.

This meal may not draw up any old memories for you of places you’ve been or previous meals you’ve enjoyed, but if it doesn’t, the flavor alone will make you question what you’ve been eating and experiencing all this time- in the best way. Try something new, enjoy a little flare, and dig in!

Love, A Rented Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup diced tomato

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves

½ cup diced white onion

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 large ripe (black) plantains

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 (12 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450˚F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a medium sized bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, cumin, and salt, and then arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake the potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until soft. Turn every 10 minutes to prevent burning.

In a large measuring cup, combine the tomatoes, cilantro, onion, and lime juice. Set in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, peel the plantains by running the edge of a sharp knife along the 3-4 ridges present in the plantain peel. Remove the peeling and slice the plantain into bite sized coins.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skilled over medium high heat, and fry the plantains, 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the fried plantains from the heat and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any additional grease and allow the plantain pieces to cool.

Once the sweet potatoes are done cooking, assemble each bowl with a serving of rice, beans, potatoes, plantains, and topping with the pico de gallo mix. Enjoy!

3 thoughts on “Vegan Cuban Bowl”

Thanks for this recipe! Enjoying leftovers today. I wish the Presbyterian Church had a position of “Nutritional Stewardship”, because it will be a shame if your blog ends because of a traditional ministry career. But 3 generations of Are preachers is pretty awesome.